Page 20 - MetalForming July 2017

Controls:
Don’t Disable!
Investing in press and line controls leverages high technology to monitor, operate and optimize presses and entire lines. But the investment is wasted when users—and there are plenty—turn off key control functions or inputs.
BY LOUIS A. KREN, SENIOR EDITOR
Press controls have advanced to the point where they can com- municate with all line compo- nents, and even have the ability to alter press tooling on the fly. Controls have adapted to the increased use of cellular manufacturing, and the need to com- municate more closely with the entire cell. They provide real-time informa- tion on job status, and integrate with MRP and ERP systems, enabling improved tracking and ordering of materials, for example, and aiding com- pany decision makers with scheduling as well as tool and equipment perform- ance and maintenance needs.
Diagnostic tools in the controls show input and output status using architecture that enables rapid trou- bleshooting. These tools enable safe I/O examination without the need to enter hot electrical panels.
Controls today provide an abun- dance of historical data used to create baselines and chart performance for
Outfitting or upgrading a press line with capable control technology, as is the case here, is only step one. Step two: using it. Disabling tonnage monitoring or die-protection functions, for example, will keep production moving, but only until catastrophe occurs, and along the way part quality and press reliability surely will decrease.
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a variety of uses. Combined with robust sensoring, they assist in error- proofing, allowing metalformers not only to verify good parts, but also to receive verification reports generated by automated systems. No longer do controls offer only stroke counters, but good-parts counters as well, while making sure, via control of chutes, conveyors and part-ejection mecha- nisms, that good and bad parts route accordingly. They’ll assess coil entering the press and, via servo and stepper motors, automatically adjust wedges in the die to account for variations in material thicknesses.
In short, controls can set, run, cor- rect and report across an entire man- ufacturing cell or press line. Everything above has been documented in the pages of MetalForming. We know that controls have tremendous capabilities,
and provide powerful tools for opera- tors and on up to the C-suite. But out- fitting or upgrading a cell or line with capable control technology is only step one. Step two: using it.
Blocking Data Hampers Improvement
“We see a disturbing trend, what I call acceptance mode,” shares Dean Phillips, sales engineer for Link Sys- tems, Nashville, TN. “Companies will install a tonnage monitor or some type of die protection, then proceed to gath- er information. At some point, these companies determine that they’ve gathered all the information they need, and then will shut down or disable those data-gathering and control mechanisms.”
Phillips has seen some of the largest manufacturers, including OEMs with